USA > Iowa > Henry County > Portrait and biographical album of Henry County, Iowa, containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county > Part 35
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Nine children came to bless their union, seven of whom yet live: David, of Grundy Center, Iowa; Alford, of Page County, Iowa, enlisted in the 25th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, serving as Second Lieu- tenant of the company; Sarah, wife of William Melton, and first white child born in this county, residing on the old homestead; Philip is a lumber dealer of Ft. Collins, Col .; Jemima .I., wife of Peter Perine, both deceased; Jonathan and Elisha, twins; the former now residing in Mt. Pleasant, en- listed in the 25th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and the latter resides in Baxter, Jasper Co., Iowa, Rachel, wife of George Cooper, of Osborne County, Kan .; John, of Greene County, lowa; Mary, wife of Gabriel Burton, of Henry County, Iowa.
In politics, Mr. Wilson was a Democrat. He and his wife were earnest Christian people, and
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were highly respected in the community where they resided. Always honest and upright, Mr. Wilsons' word was as good as his bond. The mother departed this life Oet. 16, 1873, being sixty-two years of age. She preceded her husband to the home of the redeemed thirteen years, he dying on the 26th of January, 1887, at the age of seventy-six.
b ON. JOHN S. WOOLSON, senior partner of the prominent law firm of Woolson & Babb, of Mt. Pleasant, and a member of the Iowa State Senate, was born at Tonawanda. Erie Co., N. Y., Dec. 6, 1840. His father, Theron W. Woolson. was an early settler of Henry County, and a leading attorney (a sketch of his life and his portrait will be found elsewhere in this work). His mother's maiden name was Clarissa Simson. The family on both sides are descended from patriotic ancestry in the war of the Revolution. His pater- nal grandfather participated in the war of Inde- pendence and in that of 1812, while his maternal grandfather took an active part in the latter war.
Onr subject. as his history shows, was true to the patriotie instincts of his forefathers, and bore his part in the War for the Union in 1861-65. He re- ceived his primary education in his native town, and when sixteen years of age (June. 1856), he ac- companied his parents to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where he entered the Iowa Wesleyan University as a student and graduated with the honors of his elass in 1860. He at once engaged in the study of law in his father's otlice, but the breaking out of the war excited his patriotic ardor, and throwing aside his Blackstone and Chitty, he forsook the peaceful paths of the law for a position in the United States Navy. He was appointed Assistant Paymaster of the United States Navy in February, 1862, and was assigned to the United States sloop-of-war " Housatonic," of the South Atlantic squadron. He continued to serve on the " Housatonie " till she was sunk by a Confederate torpedo boat off Charles- ton Harbor. Feb. 17, 1864. The sloop sank within fifteen minutes after the torpedo was exploded. Mr. Woolson succeeded in securing himself to a
floating spar which proved but a precarious support. as it was overloaded and submerged by the numbers clinging to it. By the timely arrival of a boat from another vessel of the squadron. he and his compan- ions were rescued from their perilous position.
Hle was next assigned to the double turreted monitor "Monadnock," then in service in the North and South Atlantie squadron. He participated in all the attacks on Ft. Sumter and both attacks on Ft. Fisher. He served at different times as signal otlieer of the squadron, and during the attacks on Ft. Fisher had command of one of the pilot-houses of the monitor. He was up the James River at the taking of Crow's Nest and the capture of Richmond. He was also at " Butler's Dutch Gap Canal," and served till the surrender of the Confederate army and the close of the war. He was previously sent with an expedition to Havana to capture a rebel ram in those waters. The ram failed to accept the challenge, but sought protection under the guns of the Spanish forts. Mr. Woolson resigned his posi- tion in the regular service in December. 1865, re- turned to Mt. Pleasant and resumed the study of law with his father as preceptor, and was admitted to the bar in September, 1866. He at once formed a law partnership with his father, under the firm name of T. W. & JJohn S. Woolson, which connec- tion continued till the death of his father, Nov. 8. 1872. In January, 1873, he formed the existing partnership with Ilon. W. I. Babb.
Mr. Woolson has taken a prominent part in pub- lic affairs, and has been chosen to fill various offices of honor and trust. He has served several years as a member and Secretary of the School Board of Mt. Pleasant. He was appointed a member of the Henry County Board of Commissioners of Insanity in 1870, and was elected President of the Board, and has held that position continuously since. Mr. Woolson was elected by the Republican party to the State Senate in 1875, was re-elected and served six years. He was appointed Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, was chosen President pro tem of the Senate. and had the honor of presiding at the re-inauguration of Gov. J. H. Gear. He was re-elected in 1885, and again elected President pro tem, which position he still holds. In 1884 he was the Republican candidate for Congress for the
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First Iowa Congressional District. Mr. Woolson had taken positive ground while in the State Sen- ate in favor of the right of the State and General Government to control within constitutional limits the establishment of rates of passenger and freight traffic, and to protect the people against any extor- tion by monopolies. Notwithstanding the fact that he had thus antagonized the powerful railway in- fluence, and that his opponent, the Hon. Benjamin J. Hall, had the earnest and undivided support of the railway corporations, in addition to the prestige of an opposition majority of from 800 to 1,000, which had been cast against the Republican tieket in the two previous elections, Mr. Woolson was defeated by but seventy-three votes, a high com- pliment to his personal popularity.
Mr. Woolson was united in marriage at Mt. Pleas- ant, April 9, 1867, to Miss Mira T. Bird, daughter of Dr. W. Bird, a prominent physician and early settler of that city, and whose history is given on another page. Mrs. Woolson was born at Freder- ickstown, Knox Co., Ohio. Five children were born of their union, four of whom are living: Paul B., born May 13, 1868; Ralph T., born May 25, 1871, died Nov. 8, 1886 ; Miriam, born May 19, 1873; Grace S., born July 17, 1875; Ruth S., born Oct. 18, 1880. Mr. Woolson, his wife and three elder children, are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the McFarland Post No. 20, G. A. R., and of the Iowa Commandery of the Loyal Legion. He is a Master Mason, and a member of Mt. Pleasant Lodge No. 8. He and his wife are members of Bethlehem Chapter No. 38, of the order of the Eastern Star.
The subject of this sketch is so well known that any- thing that might be said in a short sketch like this would not add to or detract from his high standing in the community with the present generation, but as this work is designed as a standard reference for coming generations. it is eminently proper to state that Mr. Woolson stands in the front rank of his profession in Henry County, and is among the lending lawyers of the State. He is an indefatigable worker and student. possessing qualities of mind and a high order of talent that eminently fit him for the profession of the law and a foremost place among the legislators of the country. As a lawyer
he is quick to analyze the subject matter of the business in hand. careful and methodical in the prep- aration of cases, eloquent and logical in his ad- dresses to court and jury. and isalways to be relied upon to present the elaims of his clients in the best possible light and to guard their interests with ability, integrity and fidelity. As a legislator he has always proved true to the interests of his con- stituents, consistent with his broad views of public policy. He served on important committees, in the discharge of whose duties he has always borne a prominent part. As a speaker. he is fluent. logical and eloquent. His well-known habit of thoroughly investigating any subject on which he is to speak adds force to his remarks and carries conviction to the minds of his audience. Possessing these char- acteristies, it is not strange that his people should favor him with their choice for positions of public honor and trust, and that they are proud to ac- knowledge him as a leader among them.
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OHN MESSER, deceased, was a native of Ohio, and his parents were Job and Sarah (Green) Messer. He was among the earliest pioneer settlers of Henry County, Iowa, hav- ing come to this county in 1839, and settled in Tren- ton Township, on section 8, where he lived until the time of his death, which occurred Feb. 7, 1865. He was united in marriage with Rhoda Ann Miller, and they were the parents of fourteen children, of whom Michael and Sarah died young; Josephus was the eldest; the next was John, of Trenton Town- ship; Mary, wife of James 11. Scarff, of Trenton Township; Job, also of Trenton Township; Simon, also a farmer of Trenton Township: Alfred, who died Aug. 27, 1885; Jane, wife of George Alexan- der, of Trenton Township: Calvin, residing in Jef- ferson Township; Alvin, who has charge of the home farm for his mother: Hannah departed this life in January, 1874; Lincoln; Becca Ann, wife of Isaac Shuck, a resident of Trenton Township. Mr. Messer in early life affiliated with the Whig party, and until the organization of the Republican. when he voted with the latter party. He served as a soldier in the late Rebellion, enlisting in what was
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known as the old Graybeard regiment, from which lie was honorably discharged for disability. Mr. Messer owned a fine farm of eighty acres of land at the time of his death. Among the honored names of the pioneer settlers, that of John Messer ranks among the first.
Josephus Messer was born and reared on the farm in Trenton Township, on which his parents had set- tled on coming to Henry County. Ile was among the many brave boys in blue who fought so gal- lantly for their country, enlisting in the 4th Iowa Cavalry, serving three years, and participating in the many battles in which his regiment was engaged. On the 9th of July, 1864, he married Rebecca Jane Iloffman, a native of Indiana, and a daughter of Pant and Azuba (Washburn) Hoffman, the father a native of Canada, and the mother of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman are now residing in Decatur County, Kan.
Mr. and Mrs. Messer have been the parents of ten children : Zion, born Nov. 1, 1865; Mary Florence, born July 22, 1867, now the wife of Jesse F. Fields, a resident of Trenton Township; Freeman, born Nov. 26, 1868; Sheridan, Nov. 30, 1870; Alice, born March 6, 1872, died Aug. 14, 1873; Emma Jane, born Dec. 13, 1873; Joe, March 25, 1876; Azuba Ann, Oct. 27, 1879; Lavina, Aug. 10, 1881 ; Sarah Frances, Oct. 11, 1885; and Rhoda, May 26, 1887; one died in infancy. Mr. Messer owns a farm of seventy-two acres of land, well cultivated. Politically he is an adherent of the Republican party. Mr. and Mrs. Messer are highly esteemed both as citizens and neighbors.
M AX E. WITTE, M. D., First Assistant Physician at the Iowa State Hospital for the Insane at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, was born in Berlin, Prussia, on the 31st of January, 1859. Ilis parents were G. W. and W. (Rakow) Witte. Our subject came to America with them in the autumn of 1864. The family located in Jack- son County, Iowa. Max E. received his literary education at Galena, Ill., and then took a three- years course at the State University of Iowa, grad- nating from the medical department in the class of
1881. Hle read medicine with Prof. W. D. Middle- ton, M. D., and began the practice of his profession at Davenport, Iowa. He was appointed to his present responsible position, and entered upon his duties as First Assistant Physician at the Iowa State Hospital in November, 1881. lle is a member of the Lutheran Church, and Republican in politics. Dr. Witte has proved an able assistant to Dr. Gil- man, being well skilled in his profession, and earnest and conscientious in the discharge of the responsible duties of his office.
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ACOB TRAXLER, residing on section 25, Trenton Township, Henry Co., lowa, is a na- tive of Cumberland County, Pa., born Sept. 9, 1831, and is of German ancestry. Our subject learned the trade of brick-making, which he bas followed most of his life. He came to this county in 1854 with his father, settling in Marion Township, where he purchased 266 acres of land, which he afterward sold, buying a farm of 120 acres on section 9 of the same township. He re- sided upon that farm from 1859 until 1884, and during that time made many improvements, but sold in that year, and rented a farm in Trenton Township, where he has since made his home.
In the fall of 1855 Jacob Traxler was united in marriage with Eliza J. Hume. She was born Dec. 18, 1838, in Ohio, and is the daughter of James Hume, a native of Virginia. By that marriage five children were born, namely: James B., who was born Sept. 21, 1856, was for four years School Super- intendent of Henry County, and is now teaching in Grenada, Col .; an infant, born May 6, 1859, was the second child ; Elizabeth J., born Ang. 5, 1860, who was a teacher in the public schools, became the wife of J. Wallace Miller, a farmer of Marion Town- ship; Grezelle A., born April 6, 1869, died in May, 1883; George C., born May 5, 1866, died in in- fancy. Eliza J. Traxler died Aug. 5, 1866. She was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Traxler was again married, Jan. 16, 1867, to Ruth E. Carpenter, who was the widow of John F. Gould, of Jones County, lowa, who died Feb. 28,
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1865, and by that marriage Mrs. Traxler had one child, Hiram E. Gould, now living in Nebraska. By Mr. Traxler's second marriage ten children were born : Viola C., born Oct. 25, 1867; John E., Nov. 15, 1869 ; Clarence C., Jan. 13, 1872; William L., April 29, 1874; Rosa Belle, Dec. 3, 1875; Mary A., April 5, 1877; Minnie B., born Feb. 25, 1879, died March 20, 1882; Alvin J., born Nov. 24, 1880, died Feb. 26, 1882; Louis E., born July 31, 1883; and Catherine, March 5, 1885. Politically, Mr. Traxler is a Democrat, though he is liberal in his views. Mr. and Mrs. Traxler are among the highly respected people of Trenton Township, and we wel- come them to a place in the history of Henry County.
LEX. S. PERRY is a farmer and stock- raiser, residing on section 15, Center Town- ship. lle was born in Washington County, Pa., Jan. 12, 1826, and is the son of T. J. R. and Margaret (Gaston) Perry, the former a native of Maryland, and the latter of Pennsylvania. They were the parents of nine children: John G., deceased; Alex. S., the subject of this sketch ; Char- ity A., wife of Wesley Howard, of Des Moines; Samuel G., who enlisted in Company C, 30th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, was killed May 22, 1836, dur- ing the siege of Vicksburg; IIon. Thomas, Jr., en- listed in the Ist Iowa Cavalry, served nearly four years, and now resides in Western Kansas; William P. enlisted in Company C, 30th Iowa Volunteer In- fantry. serving out his time, re-enlisted and was trans- ferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, being stationed at Indianapolis, Ind., where he was engaged guard- ing prisoners; he now resides on the old home- stead. Margaret married Jerome Turner, and is now deceased; Mathew M. culisted in the 15th lowa Volunteer Infantry, served out his time, and now resides in Chariton, Iowa; Rebecca is the wife of W. W. Perry, of Pottawattamie County, lowa. In 1845 the family emigrated to Des Moines County, Iowa, where the father located a large tract of land where he resided until death. Politically, he was an old-line Whig in his early life, but became a Republican on the organization of that party. He
was elected a member of the House of Representa- tives of the General Assembly of Iowa, and served with credit to himself and constituents. A man of more than ordinary ability, he was a friend to edu- cation, and everything calculated for the publie good, was a strict temperanee man and did much for that cause.
The subject of this sketch remained in his native State until nineteen years of age, when he came to lowa with his parents, and settled in Des Moines County. The educational advantages enjoyed by him were those of the common school, but the in- formation obtained therein has been supplemented by extensive reading since that day. On coming to Iowa he helped his father improve his farm, and for some time was engaged in breaking the wild prairie land.
In 1855 Mr. Perry was nnited in marriage with Miss Catherine Baumguardner, a native of Eastern Pennsylvania and daughter of John Baumguard- ner, who settled in Des Moines County in 1849. After his marriage, Mr. Perry engaged in farming until 1862, when, in response to the call of Presi- dent Lincoln for 300,000 more men to put down the Rebellion, he enlisted in Company C, 30th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered into United States service at Keokuk. From Keokuk the regi- ment was sent to Benton Barracks, near St. Louis, where it remained a short time, and was sent from there to Helena, Ark., and then to Chickasaw Bayou, where it was engaged, and where Mr. Perry was wounded in the hand. From the field, he was sent to the hospital at Paducah, Ky., where he re- mained three months, and was then discharged, re- turning to his home in Des Moines County, where he remained until 1868, when he moved to Mt. Pleasant, where he continued to reside until the spring of 1888, when he removed to his farm on section 13, Center Township, where he now lives. In politics, Mr. Perry is a Republican, and has allili- ated with that party since its organization. In 1866, while a resident of Des Moines County, he was elected Sheriff, and served one term. Mr. and Mrs. Perry have no natural heirs, but have reared three children, one of whom, Maria C. Wennick, is now the wife of William M. Van Vleet, of New London. Mr. Perry is a member of MeFarland Post No. 20,
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G. A. R. Mrs. Perry is a member of the Christian Church of Mt. Pleasant. Both are highly respected citizens of the county.
F6 REDERICK L. WIEGAND, merchant, was born in Saxe-Meinigen, Germany, in 1837, and is the son of Andrus and Margaret (Choeher) Wiegand, both of whom were natives of Germany. By trade Andrus Wiegand was a cabi- net-maker, and carried on business in Badlevein- stein, a noted watering place, where he lived and died. They had only two sons, Charles F. and our subject. When ten years of age Frederick left his native land, his mother having married after the death of her first husband, Matthias Glotzbach, who preceded the family to America, settling in Philadelphia, where his wife with her two sons landed in 1846. At the age of eleven years Fred- erick went to work for a eotton manufacturer of that city, and at twelve was apprenticed to a shoe- maker for five years, but his mother took him away when she, with her husband, left Philadelphia the next year. In 1850 they started for Iowa but stopped to visit relatives in Indiana, afterward resuming their journey via the Ohio River, but when Louisville, Ky., was reached, the mother was taken violently ill, and after stopping in that city for some time, they returned to Madison, Ind. Later the illness of Mrs. Glotzbach grew more serious, and she was taken back to Louisville, and died in the hospital in that eity in 1850. Charles remained in Philadelphia, being bound to a barber, and after serving out his apprenticeship, in 1853 went to Cal- ifornia, and for several years had a shop on board a vessel plying between San Francisco and Panama. In 1858 he quit that business, having saved con- siderable money, and started east to look for his brother, knowing of his mother's death. After advertising largely in the papers without learning of the whereabouts of Frederick, he returned to Europe, thinking perhaps the orphan lad had gone baek to his fatherland. Getting no tidings of him, however, he returned to America and located in Portland, Ore., married Rosina Wilhelm, and con- dueted a large business. His death occurred twelve
years later, and his widow and five children yet reside in that city.
After the death of his mother our subject was set adrift by his step-father who refused to have any further care for him, and a young lad but fourteen years of age he started out alone in the world to seek his fortune, and for twenty-two years he neither saw nor heard of any of his relatives. He found employment first on a steamer running on the Ohio. Hle found it hard to get a place, everyone thinking that a lad of his years had run away from home, but by chance a gentleman having charge of a steamer kindly kept him over night, gave him his breakfast and ten eents in money, the first cash that he ever had of his own, and he found a situation the next day as cabin boy on an Ohio steamer. He only staid a short time with this man, as he was a drinking and blasphemous fellow, but he found em- ployment in the same eapacity on another boat running between Cincinnati and St. Louis, and in the former eity met a boy who was an old acquaintance. Wishing to see the South they engaged on a boat bound for New Orleans, and while in that city the trunk containing the clothes of our subject was stolen, and he was left penniless. They tried for some time to obtain passage North, but had no money and could not obtain work. Finally they became stowaways on the steamer "United States," and for their provisions depended on the seraps left by the deck hands. Before the boys had jour- neyed three days the clerk spied them, and Fred- eriek made a plain statement of the facts and was told by the elerk to remain, at least until the Cap- tain found them out, who it seems learned the same day that they were aboard. He put them off in Mississippi, where they remained until the next steamer came along. They were given shelter and something to eat by the negroes, and then boarded a boat with the consent of the Captain and were taken to Louisville. The cold weather was at hand and their elothes were getting thin. They walked to Madison, Ind., begging food en route. The other boy, John Yeager, had relatives living at Indianapolis, but at North Madison they became sep- arated, but Frederick being determined to find his companion, started on foot and reached Indianapo- lis after all kinds of adventures, where he discovered
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his boy friend who had found his relatives, but there was no place for Frederick. A few days later he obtained employment with Mr. Shirner, a farmer four miles east of the city, only getting the place by persistent begging, as they feared he was a runa- way. They kindly cared for him during the win- ter, giving him clothes, and during the next summer he engaged with a son, William Shirner, until the following spring. IJe remained in that vicinity seven years working on farms. His education was very limited, less than six months including all his schooling in America. His wages were carefully saved. but at $5 and $10 per month his bank ac- count was not very large when he left for Kansas in the spring of 1857, where he pre-empted a quarter section of land near Ossawatomie. His home was made with a Quaker, Richard Mendenhall, where old John Brown made his headquarters, and Fred- erick was personally acquainted with that noted man, Mr. Wiegand improved his land and for eighteen years remained a farmer. In the spring of 1862 he enlisted in the Missouri State Militia, later enlisted in Company D, 15th Kansas Cavalry, serving during the remainder of the war in the western army. At West Point, Mo., he was wounded and yet carries the ball which, however, canses him little inconvenience. After the war he returned to his farm, and in 1867 was married to Miss Sarah J., daughter of Eli and Martha (Hun- nieut) White. Miss White came into the neighbor- hood to teach school, and the acquaintance was then formed which resulted in marriage. In 1874 Mr. Wiegand sold his Kansas farm and removed to Mokena, Will Co., Ill., where for some time he operated a fruit farm and was subsequently elected Justice of the Peace, serving two years. The resi- dence in Mokena lasted nine years, and in July, 1883, he disposed of the Illinois property and started to Oregon, but stopping in Salem to visit relatives of Mrs. Wiegand. and a business invest- ment offering at Ilillsboro, he purchased the store and goods of William Mickelwaite, and has con- ducted the business to this date, having a large stock of general merchandise and a fine trade. Ile was appointed Justice of the Peace after coming to the village, but at present attends solely to his mercantile business, being aided by his wife and 1
their only son, Charles F., born in Kansas in 1868.
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